Paddy drums up huge support for Limerick hospice with sell-out CD

PADDY Brennan who spent two years perfecting a limited edition CD which has raised over €20,000 for Milford Hospice has been named the Limerick Person of the Month.

PADDY Brennan who spent two years perfecting a limited edition CD which has raised over €20,000 for Milford Hospice has been named the Limerick Person of the Month.

Limerick On Record, a stunning compilation that features the best of Limerick music from a 50 year period, sold out in Limerick within a 10-day period.

Paddy came up with the idea for the CD around 15 years ago and what started out as a 21 track CD evolved into a 62 track collectors item.

“The way I looked at it was, books had been written about sport in Limerick and Limerick’s history but there had been nothing definitive on Limerick’s music. This is the definitive history of Limerick music, more or less,” said Paddy at the Clarion Hotel this week where he accepted the Limerick Person of the Month award.

Around 15 years ago, Paddy picked out some artists and designed a mock sleeve for the CD but then put the project to one side to concentrate on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Club which he founded in 1979 in Limerick with his brother-in-law Martin McLoughlin, Eric Mitchell and Philip Bermingham.

Over the past 30 years, the club has raised in the region of €35,000 for a number of different good causes including Spina Bifida, the Irish Wheelchair Association and Milford Hospice.

Sadly, Martin McLoughlin from Clareview passed away in 2008. Due to the fact that he died in Milford Hospice, it was decided that the proceeds from the CD should go towards the hospice.

“My ambition with this was to raise €20,000 for Milford,” Paddy said of the CD.

“I wanted to bring out 1,000 copies. I wanted to make it a limited edition so that it would be a collectors item. I priced it at €20,” he added.

A native of Hyde Road, Paddy - who has been living in Corbally for the past 43 years - was determined that the CD would showcase as much of Limerick as possible.

There is a 40-page booklet with the CD featuring pictures including the UL Concert Hall.

“I wanted the entire project to be about Limerick from start to finish – that’s why the Treaty Stone is on the front cover,” said Paddy.

Such was the response to the CD that the 1,000 copies were snapped up in 10 days. “Savins and O’Mahony’s were saying that there was an average of 100 people each day looking for the CD,” said Paddy’s wife, Geraldine.

“There was a great response - we couldn’t believe it. Paddy has received thank you letters and cards from people who said the music brought them back to their childhood,” Geraldine added.

The couple have three sons Glen, Ross and Neil and one daughter Karla. Both Glen and Ross feature on the CD.

The three CD collection spans from 1965 right up to the present day and contains Richard Harris’ MacArthur Park, Grannies Intentions’ Sandy’s On The Phone, The Cranberries’ Dreams and more from Limerick’s musical history.

All of the artists and record companies gave permission for the use of their tracks on the CD which raised €20,120 in aid of Milford Hospice.

Paddy paid tribute to the family of Richard Harris for their support of the CD.

“Richard Harris sings three songs but one of the songs in particular, MacArthur Park - I was having difficultly in getting permission from the record company for it,” Paddy explained.

“The late Richard’s wife, Elizabeth, gave the backing of the family, in writing, saying that they were behind the project and that Richard would have loved to feature on this CD.”

Paddy also paid tribute to Richard’s son, Jared Harris, for supporting the endeavour even though he was busy filming the Oscar nominated Lincoln at the time.

“He took time out to correspond with me over the last year through email. He went so far as to get Jimmy Webb, the writer of the song, to finalise the permission from Universal Records,” said Paddy.

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